Interior Alaska

In the heartland of Alaska, you'll find some of the
state's most impressive natural wonders and a wealth of culture
and history. Athabascans, gold prospectors, farmers, and fur trappers
have all found a home in the shadow of Mt. McKinley, the continent's
tallest peak.

Alaska Highway

Tok is the first large
town encountered by visitors traveling the Alaska Highway.
Located between the Tanana River and the Alaska Range, Tok is
a trade center for several Athabascan Native villages. Visit the
Tok Public Lands Information Center for museum displays, a wildlife
film, and trip-planning information. The Chamber of Commerce "Mainstreet
Alaska" Visitor Center also provides helpful advice. Local
attractions include hiking, fishing, flightseeing, bicycling,
and an Alaskan theme park.

Take the Taylor Highway north to visit the
gold rush transportation center of Eagle, and park headquarters
for the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. From Eagle,
take a week-long float-trip down the Yukon River to Circle, or
take a cruise to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory.

The Alaska Highway officially ends in Delta Junction.
From here you can visit glaciers, tour a Trans-Alaska Pipeline
pump station, or pick wild berries from July through September,
fish for arctic grayling, or observe a herd of American bison
at the Delta Bison Range. East of town, the Clearwater State
Recreation Site offers fishing, camping, and boat access to
the Tanana and Goodpaster rivers.

Travel nine miles north of town on the Richardson
Highway to visit the Big Delta State Historical Park.
The park museum features vintage photographs, pioneer relics,
and Athabascan Native artifacts. Nearby Quartz Lake State Recreation
Area offers camping, boating, and fishing for rainbow trout
and silver salmon stocked by the Department of Fish and Game.

In 1902, Felix Pedro found gold in the region, and
thousands of prospectors swarmed to the area in search of the
mother lode. Nearly a century later, Fairbanks is Alaska's
second-largest city (pop. 33,281) and a trade and transportation
center for Interior and Far North Alaska. From mid-May through
July, visitors can enjoy more than 20 hours of sunlight a day.

Many visitors strongly recommend a trip to the University
of Alaska-Fairbanks Museum to see exhibits on Alaska's regions,
wildlife, and Native cultures. You can also tour a gold mine,
visit an authentic gold dredge, or cruise the Chena River aboard
a reproduction sternwheeler. Get a taste of pioneer life at the
Alaskaland theme park, featuring several museums, shops, and authentic
turn-of-the-century cabins.

In July, attend the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics.
This Native Alaskan competition provides a unique opportunity
to watch traditional athletic contests and dances.

When the midnight sun sets, the aurora borealis lights
up the sky, providing the perfect backdrop for winter adventure.
Dog sledding, both cross-country and downhill skiing, and snowmobile
riding are available from October through March. Throughout winter,
Fairbanks hosts world-class sled dog races, ice sculpting competitions
and other seasonal celebrations.

The nearby community of North Pole receives
thousands of letters for Santa Claus every year. Regional Attractions
include views of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and visits to the
soothing waters of several hot springs in the area.

A fly-in excursion to Fort Yukon on the Arctic
Circle will give you a picture of life on the Yukon River in Alaska's
largest Athabascan village. Accommodations and some visitor services
are available. The Dinji Zhuu Enjit Museum has excellent examples
of old and new beadwork by the Gwich'in Athabascans.

Traveling south from Fairbanks, stop in Nenana
on the banks of the Tanana and Nenana rivers. The town's name
is taken from the Athabascan word Nenashna, which means "point
of camping between two rivers."

Nenana's railroad depot is on the National Register
of Historic Places. Built in 1905, St. Mark's Mission Church was
recently restored. The pews are embellished with hand-carving
and the altar cloth is made of moosehide decorated with Native
beadwork.

Mt. McKinley & Denali National Park
and Preserve

From Fairbanks, travel south to Mt. McKinley and
Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali is the Athabascan
name for Mt. McKinley, meaning "the high one." The area
offers hotels, campgrounds, and other visitor services. Recreational
opportunities include hiking, rock- and ice-climbing, photography
and wildlife viewing, nature walks, horseback treks, slide programs,
sled dog demonstrations, and tours of the park from the air or
the ground.

Take a shuttlebus or guided tour into the park's
wilderness to see caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, moose, Dall
sheep, lynx, ground squirrels, marmots, fox, and snowshoe hares.
The majority of the park's birds visit during summer, but year-round
residents include ravens, great horned owls, and three species
of ptarmigan.

To the southeast of the national park, Denali
State Park is famous for panoramic views of Mt. McKinley and
the Alaska Range.

The Denali Highway takes you through the Alaska
Range, from Cantwell at the edge of Denali National Park,
to Paxson. Just east of Paxson, spawning salmon can be seen in
the Gulkana River from mid- to late summer. These fish are protected,
but the region offers excellent fishing for trout and grayling.